By Caitlin Vega
California Labor Federation
May 1st is May Day, a day of celebration for workers around the world. This dates back to a resolution adopted by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (later the American Federation of Labor) that stated “eight hours shall constitute a legal day’s labour from and after May 1st, 1886.”
But the struggle for the 8-hour day was about more than just hours of work. In demanding an 8-hour day, workers were saying something much more fundamental: that working people should not have to spend every waking moment on the job. We deserve time to rest, to spend with family, to go to church or to union meetings, to get involved in our communities. It was a simple and powerful demand: “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.”